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Illnesses that mimic depression


SAMHSA’s National Helpline | SAMHSA

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  • SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.

    Also visit the online treatment locator.

SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.

Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.

The service is open 24/7, 365 days a year.

English and Spanish are available if you select the option to speak with a national representative. Currently, the 435748 (HELP4U) text messaging service is only available in English.

In 2020, the Helpline received 833,598 calls. This is a 27 percent increase from 2019, when the Helpline received a total of 656,953 calls for the year.

The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.

The service is confidential. We will not ask you for any personal information. We may ask for your zip code or other pertinent geographic information in order to track calls being routed to other offices or to accurately identify the local resources appropriate to your needs.

No, we do not provide counseling. Trained information specialists answer calls, transfer callers to state services or other appropriate intake centers in their states, and connect them with local assistance and support.

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Last Updated: 08/30/2022

SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator

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Welcome to the Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator, a confidential and anonymous source of information for persons seeking treatment facilities in the United States or U.S. Territories for substance use/addiction and/or mental health problems.

PLEASE NOTE: Your personal information and the search criteria you enter into the Locator is secure and anonymous. SAMHSA does not collect or maintain any information you provide.

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The Locator is authorized by the 21st Century Cures Act (Public Law 114-255, Section 9006; 42 U.S.C. 290bb-36d). SAMHSA endeavors to keep the Locator current. All information in the Locator is updated annually from facility responses to SAMHSA’s National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey (N-SUMHSS). New facilities that have completed an abbreviated survey and met all the qualifications are added monthly. Updates to facility names, addresses, telephone numbers, and services are made weekly for facilities informing SAMHSA of changes. Facilities may request additions or changes to their information by sending an e-mail to [email protected], by calling the BHSIS Project Office at 1-833-888-1553 (Mon-Fri 8-6 ET), or by electronic form submission using the Locator online application form (intended for additions of new facilities).

Depression

Home/Information for patients/A little about the diseases we treat/Depression

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by low mood, a pessimistic view of everything that happens around, loss of the ability to feel joy, negative judgments , motor retardation. Depression is often expressed in bodily forms. It can imitate a picture of any violation of the internal organs, as if hiding under the mask of another disease. nine0003

Causes of depression can manifest itself in stressful situations (nervous breakdown) caused by physiological or psychosocial factors. In this case, the social cause of the disease is associated with a high pace of life, high competitiveness, an increased level of stress, uncertainty about the future, social instability, and difficult economic conditions. The causes of depression are also associated with a lack of biogenic amines, which include serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. The reasons can be provoked by sunless weather, darkened rooms. Thus, seasonal depression appears, which occurs in autumn and winter. In some cases, the reasons lie in the abuse of sedatives, as well as sleeping pills, narcotic substances, alcohol, psychostimulants. The causes of depression can be triggered by somatic diseases (Alzheimer's disease, influenza, traumatic brain injury, atherosclerosis of the arteries of the brain). nine0003

Main symptoms of depression:

  • persistent feeling of depression, anxiety, hopelessness, emptiness;
  • desire for self-isolation, limited contact with loved ones, desire to stay at home all the time;
  • feeling of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness;
  • tearfulness;
  • feeling of loneliness;
  • prostration, lethargy;
  • problems with memory, concentration;
  • vulnerability: a person with depression is easier to hurt and offend; nine0018
  • feeling that no one understands, sympathizes, loves;
  • feelings of inferiority compared to other people;
  • sleep disturbances: insomnia, interrupted sleep or its long duration, constant drowsiness;
  • difficulty in making decisions;
  • feeling that thoughts are slipping away or lost;
  • excessive overeating or lack of appetite;
  • feeling that it takes a lot of effort to perform simple actions; nine0018
  • loss of interest in activities and hobbies that used to give pleasure;
  • thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts, self-harm, desire to harm oneself, "punish" oneself;
  • symptoms of physical ill health that do not respond to treatment: headaches, digestive disorders, nervous tics, heaviness in the chest, heart pain, etc.

If you experience several symptoms at the same time for 2 weeks or more, this is a reason to consult a specialist. nine0003

Early detection of cases is made difficult by the fact that a person with depressive symptoms tries to remain silent about the occurrence of symptoms, since most people are afraid of prescribing antidepressants and the side effects of them. Some patients mistakenly believe that it is necessary to keep emotions under control, and not transfer them to the doctor's shoulders. Individuals are afraid that information about their condition will be leaked to work, others are terrified of being sent for consultation or treatment to a psychotherapist, as well as to a psychiatrist. nine0003

The main directions of therapy in treatment are psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, social therapy. A necessary condition for the effectiveness of treatment is cooperation and trust in the doctor. It is important to strictly follow the prescription of the therapy regimen, visit the doctor regularly, and give a detailed account of your condition. The support of the immediate environment is important for a speedy recovery, but you should not plunge into a depressive state with a person with symptoms of depression. It must be understood that depression is only an emotional state that will pass with time. Avoid criticizing the sick person, involve them in useful activities. With a protracted course, spontaneous recovery occurs very rarely and in percentage terms is up to 10% of all cases, while the return to a depressive state is very high. Pharmacotherapy includes treatment with antidepressants. Antidepressants are prescribed directly by a doctor and are not recommended for self-administration. The action of many antidepressants appears two weeks after administration, their dosage for the patient is determined individually. After the cessation of the symptoms of the disease, the drug must be taken from 4 to 6 months, and according to the recommendations for several years in order to avoid relapses, as well as the withdrawal syndrome. In the treatment of depression, physical activity is recommended, which is effective for mild or moderate manifestations of the disease, as well as instead of drugs or in combination with them. nine0003

It must be understood that depression in all its manifestations is a disease that must be treated, otherwise it will take a protracted course and lead to disability. Timely treatment in most cases leads to complete recovery.

Depression to the light bulb: diodes imitating the flame of a candle will save you from blues | Articles

Russian specialists have designed LEDs that are much more economical than incandescent lamps and at the same time can help to avoid depression and insomnia . Classic energy-efficient devices are bad because they shine with a cold blue light. Such illumination contributes to the development of depressive states. Innovative LEDs are similar in characteristics to a candle flame. At the same time, they are 4-5 times brighter than a computer monitor.

Sun alternative

Candles are considered the safest substitute for natural light for the human body, the emission spectrum of which is similar to the sun at sunset or sunrise and therefore is very physiological . Employees of the joint laboratory of South Ural State University and the Institute of Organic Chemistry (IOC) of the Russian Academy of Sciences have created innovative LEDs that are similar to the characteristics of a candle flame. As Oleg Rakitin, the head of the laboratory of polysulfur-nitrogen heterocycles of the Institute of Organic Synthesis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained to Izvestiya, the new LED devices are not only completely safe for human physiology, but can also reduce the risk of depression. nine0003

- Currently, incandescent lamps with their continuous spectrum, due to low efficiency and short service life, are widely replaced by LED and gas discharge sources, however, their radiation is highly enriched in blue wavelengths, which poses a threat to the human eye and can cause physiological disorders in the body,” said Oleg Rakitin.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Artem Zhitenev

The spectrum of the composition of the glow of modern LED sources, which are widely represented on the market, differs sharply from the radiation of a flame, incandescent lamp or the sun. While they may provide a visually warm yellow tint of light, they are actually a combination of blue and ultraviolet light emitted by a semiconductor crystal, and the yellow-orange glow of a special phosphor deposited on it.

According to the developers, the new source, thanks to its innovative design, when the warm light is emitted by the crystal itself, has practically no harmful radiation in the blue region of the spectrum, and its color characteristics are similar to the flame parameters of conventional candles.

Bad mood light

According to scientists, a known problem caused by blue radiation is a marked decrease in the concentration of melatonin in the human body. It is a hormone that regulates sleep and wake cycles, and its secretion precedes falling asleep. nine0068

— It has been proven that maintaining an optimal level of melatonin can prevent and even treat certain types of cancer — breast, prostate, colon, — said Oleg Rakitin. - The risk of such diseases greatly increases with age, and a violation of circadian rhythms can lead to an imbalance in the correct metabolism in general.

Photo: TASS/Mikhail Dzhaparidze

The psychophysiological effect of light from sources with an unbalanced spectrum should not be underestimated — studies show that such light can provoke irritability and even cause depressive states. And numerous works on the effects of computer and smartphone screens, which also use LEDs, even show that they can accelerate aging and cause brain diseases.

Lamp innovations

Designed LEDs do not emit harmful radiation due to the use of original organic dyes , which have never been used to create such devices before. Some were synthesized by scientists specifically for the project. It is important that the developed composition does not contain rare noble metals such as iridium and platinum (the basis of modern industrial phosphors for LED devices), which are expensive and difficult to obtain.

At the same time, the new diode is much more energy efficient than incandescent lamps, and its brightness characteristics are better. On average, a 10 x 10 cm LED panel made of new materials, under optimal conditions, provides the same level of illumination as 10-12 conventional candles, while its brightness will be 4-5 times brighter than a standard computer monitor. nine0003

Photo: RIA Novosti / Vitaly Ankov

As the developers explain, the devices can be used as light sources for office or other domestic premises, lighting design elements for various public spaces and for many other purposes, but will be especially useful for their use as home lamps to facilitate falling asleep and create comfortable soft lighting. Relatively simple diode fabrication technology and inexpensive raw materials will make it possible in the future to create light sources in the form of dimmable flat panels. nine0003

A bright future

Russian scientists have made a real breakthrough, considers Rodion Ganopolsky, head of the Department of Modeling of Physical Processes and Systems of the Tyumen State University.

- There are two big pluses. The first is the spectrum of emitted light, which corresponds to daylight. The second is the cheapness of production. LED lamps are now the most energy efficient, but they are still very expensive, — said the scientist.

Nikolai Sturov, Head of the Department of General Medical Practice at the RUDN Medical Institute (university participating in the 5-100 project), believes that the use of new LEDs can be beneficial to health. nine0003

Photo: Depositphotos

- Solar light radiation in acceptable doses has general strengthening properties, we are talking about the sun as such or about some specially selected components of this radiation. Even the solarium was originally proposed as a physiotherapy procedure.

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